The two light heavyweights first met last month at UFC 110. Bonnar suffered a controversial TKO loss from an illegal head butt, and surprisingly, his appeal was denied.

In a video interview with MMAFighting.com, Bonnar said he received a contract for a rematch at UFC 116.

The initial bout at UFC 110 in Australia came to a halt early in the third round when an accidental clash of heads opened a huge cut on Bonnar’s forehead. With a little less than four minutes remaining in the fight, the cageside doctor examined the bloody cut and recommended the bout be stopped. The referee subsequently called the fight in Soszynski’s favor despite replays showing the cut was a result of a head butt, not legal strikes.

Bonnar immediately protested the decision and said the bout should be ruled a no-contest. Shortly afterward, the “The Ultimate Fighter 1” veteran filed his appeal with the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported earlier this month, his appeal was denied.

“A review was held … and the Combat Sports Authority of NSW did not seek to interfere with the referee’s decision,” wrote Craig Waller, Executive Director of the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales.

Bonnar and the industry alike were baffled by the decision.

But he’ll get his rematch at UFC 116, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

With the UFC 110 win, Soszynski, a semifinalist of “The Ultimate Fighter 8,” is 7-1 in his past eight fights (4-1 in the UFC). The lone loss came via unanimous decision to Brandon Vera in mid-2009 at UFC 102.

Bonnar, meanwhile, has now lost three straight fights and five of his past seven. While the losses have come to a string of notables such as Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones, the wins came over Mike Nickels and Eric Schafer, both of whom are no longer with the UFC.

For the latest on UFC 116, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Stephan Bonnar)

ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

ALBANY, N.Y. – The way Gian Villante and Saparbek Safarov went at each other, it was clear neither man was interested in a tactical chess match. Instead, what they wanted was a brawl, and that’s exactly what they got, as Villante (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) battered (…)

ALBANY, N.Y. – After missing weight for her second UFC bout, Justine Kish came out trying to bully octagon newcomer Ashley Yoder. At several points, it got Kish (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in trouble. But her relentless standup attack eventually won the day, with judges (…)